Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18
यथाभिलषितं रूपं यथाभिलषितं सुखम् । यथाभिलषितं चायुः प्रसन्नो देहि मे भव
yathābhilaṣitaṃ rūpaṃ yathābhilaṣitaṃ sukham | yathābhilaṣitaṃ cāyuḥ prasanno dehi me bhava
Gewähre mir in Deiner Gnade die Gestalt, die ich ersehne, das Glück, das ich ersehne, und die Lebensspanne, die ich ersehne.
Pulomā’s daughter (Paulomī)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sages/devotees
Scene: A devotee petitions Śiva for desired form, happiness, and lifespan; the deity’s compassionate ‘prasanna’ aspect is emphasized, with offerings at a liṅga in a Kāśī shrine.
FAQs
Even worldly aims (rūpa, sukha, āyuḥ) are sought through devotion and divine grace rather than mere self-effort.
Kāśī is the implied sacred field where such prayers and vratas are taught to bear fruit.
The verse is a direct petition to Śiva; the formal prescription is introduced later as a vrata (vow-observance).